After months of buildup, Australia's premier offshore powerboat competition is ready to roar back into action. The Australian Offshore Superboat Championship 2025/26 opens at Lake Macquarie across the weekend of 18–19 October, staged alongside the Lake Mac Action Fest in what promises to be a packed two days of waterborne racing and genuine shoreline atmosphere.
Empire Marina at Marmong Point will serve as the pit base for the event, putting spectators within arm's reach of the boats and the crews who campaign them. Perhaps the most unusual highlight of the weekend falls on Saturday evening, when the Superboats are towed under police escort to Toronto for a 90-minute public display. It is one of the few occasions anyone can get close to these machines without reaching for ear protection.
Six races make up the weekend programme across two classes, with three Offshore Superboat Championship heats and three Sport-class events shared between Saturday and Sunday. Every heat runs for 30 minutes over a 6.53km lap circuit, a format that keeps gaps narrow and the competition unrelenting.
Saturday's schedule kicks off at noon with the Sport 65 and 85 Championship race, followed at 1pm by the first Offshore Superboat Championship heat, then a second Sport 65 and 85 race at 2pm. Sunday opens at 11am with the second Offshore Superboat Championship race, a Sport 65 and 85 heat at noon, and the third and final Offshore Superboat Championship race rounding out the programme at 1pm. The rotation keeps both classes prominent across the weekend, with the high-horsepower Supercats anchoring each day's headline slot.
The championship spans a broad competitive range. At the extreme end of the field, Supercat Extreme machinery combines more than 2000 horsepower, producing the kind of speeds that make offshore racing unlike anything else on the water. The Supercat Outboard class emphasises close, tactical competition over outright grunt, while the SuperSport 85 and 65 categories provide a genuine pathway for family teams and drivers still building their credentials. Entries for the season opener have already gone out.
Accessibility has always been a point of difference for the Superboat series. Lake Macquarie's foreshore is open to spectators free of charge, with the race course run close inshore to maximise the visual and audible impact. Pit access is open too, allowing fans to speak with drivers and crews in the breaks between races. As the organisers put it: "Bring the kids, bring the picnic basket – it's horsepower on water that everyone can enjoy."
Lake Macquarie is only the opening round of a four-round season. The series heads south to Wyndham Harbour in February 2026, then to Geelong in March 2026, before the championship concludes in Adelaide in May 2026. Geelong's amphitheatre-style Corio Bay and the open waters off Adelaide's North Haven will each lend their own character to the competition as the season develops.
For now, New South Wales holds centre stage. The Superboats are back, the season is live, and what unfolds at Lake Macquarie across that October weekend will set the tone for every round to come.
